Connecting the nation with Newcastle's own multi-million-pound plough

New plough used for export cable installation manufactured in North Sheilds

The kit will be used during the construction of Hornsea Two offshore wind farm

Once complete in 2022, Hornsea Two will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world

Above: The pre lay plough named The Megladon by Boskalis, can operate in water at a depth of up to 500m

North Shields based manufacturer, Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD) recently handed over a purpose built pre lay plough to marine service providers Boskalis, for use at Ørsted’s offshore wind farm Hornsea Two.

The multi-functional pre lay plough will be used by Ørsted contractor, Boskalis to install 380km of export cables which will ultimately connect Hornsea Two’s offshore substation to the site’s onshore substation in Killingholme, Lincolnshire.

Once complete, Hornsea Two will host an array of 165 wind turbines, each standing over 190m above sea level. The wind farm, which will become the world’s largest generating 1.4GW, will be able to power well over 1.3 million homes in the UK with clean electricity.

The pre lay plough, named Megalodon by Boskalis, was manufactured on the north bank of the Tyne by SMD who employ over 240 people, and will benefit from features such as an active steering, multi modes, specialized share design and remote-control access.

Paul Davison, Managing Director of SMD said: “This is our third pre-lay plough delivered to date. Together with the Boskalis Innovation team we have developed innovations for this plough which reduce seabed impact and reduce vessel fuel consumption whilst burying to protect the crucial offshore wind infrastructure that is the export cable. I’d like to thank Ørsted and Boskalis for their support and collaborative approach, and we look forward to supporting the plough in service”.

The Megalodon can operate in water at a depth of up to 500m and will be used in collaboration with Boskalis’ offshore support vessel, the BOKA Falcon. With offshore works due to commence in May for Hornsea Two’s offshore construction. Boskalis are working alongside Ørsted to complete cable-laying campaigns for 2020 within six months.

Steve Marshall, Boskalis Project Director for Hornsea Two said: “Boskalis wants to stimulate the local supply chain, not only by purchasing locally but also innovating and collaborating towards achieving the best possible end result.

Expected to be complete in 2022, Hornsea Two’s wind farm array is dispersed across an area of 462km2, which is equivalent to a larger surface area than the island of Barbados.

Patrick Harnett, Ørsted Senior Programme Director for Hornsea Two said: “We are committed to working with local suppliers where possible and are extremely pleased that Boskalis has chosen SMD as their manufacturers for this specialist piece of equipment.”

The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage facilities, and bioenergy plants, and provides energy products to its customers. Globally, Ørsted is the market leader in offshore wind and it is constructing the world’s biggest offshore wind farms off the East Coast of the UK. Its UK offshore wind farms generate enough clean electricity for over three million UK homes. Ørsted ranks #1 in Corporate Knights' 2020 index of the Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world and is recognised on the CDP Climate Change A List as a global leader on climate action. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 6,500 people, including over 1000 in the UK. Ørsted's shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2019, the group's revenue was DKK 67.8 billion (EUR 9.1 billion).